Internal-explosion engine



CMEUQTQON Aug. 25,-A 192s. 1,550,143

A. RAFTER INTERNAL EXPLOSION ENGINE Filed Feb. 16 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7g ATTORNEY :aanneemt ccmsnsriea encinas.

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Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

ALBERT EAETER, or BELLEVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

INTERNAL-EXPLOSION ENGINE.

Application led February 16, 1924. Serial No. 693,162.

To all whom t may concer/a:

Be it known that I, ALBERT RAFTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Belleville, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain n ew and useful Improvements in Internal-Explosion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to engines in which charges of explosive gases are ignited within the cylinders, the changes being compressed at each alternate upward stroke of the pistons, as is usual in engines of this type.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means for scavenging the cylinders with compressed fresh air after the explosions have taken place, and effectively dispose of the burned and exhausted gases through exhaust ports of unusually large area disposed circumjacently of each cylinder and connected with headers, one on each side of the engine.

Another purpose is to produce means for supplying a current of air under compression to force the liquid fuel through spray heads into the mixing chamber and also to mix with the gas in forming explosive charges.

A further aim is in the provision of valves adapted to control and direct the inlet of air and explosive mixture in a new and practical manner.

These and other objects, tending to effect a high degree of economy in fuel, power in operation, simplicity in construction and other valuable improvements, which will become apparent as the description progresses, are attained by the novel construction and arrangement of `parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, forming an important part of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately through the center of one of the cylinders and associated parts of an engine made in accordance with the invention, the section being taken substantially on line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a partial horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 4.

Figure 3 is a similar sectional view taken -on line 3-3 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a partial side, partial longitudinal sectional view of the engine, the casing bein@ broken away showing a plurality of cy inder units.

Figure 5 is a perspective detail view of the combined air dispensing valve and shaft support, disposed normally within the crank case.

Figure 6 is a partial side and sectional view of a cylinder head and valve showing the progressive position of the latter element in broken lines drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 8. Beginning with the frame of the engine, which may be supported in any convenient manner, the lower section of the crank-case is designated by the numeral 15, the same being attached to the upper section 16 by bolted flanges 17 and 18 thus constituting an essentially cylindrical casing, both parts of which are reduced in diameter and internally bored, as at 19, at the ends and between the portions in which the cranks operate, the connecting walls lbetween the larger and smaller sections being continuous and shaped in conical sectional form.

A shaft 2O passes axially through the casing and may have attached to its extending ends driving and fly wheels, as indicated at 21. Said shaft passes through wiper washers 22, attached to the end flanges 23 of the casing, acting to prevent the entrance of dust to the interior.

Fixed to the shaft, adjacent the inner side of the washer 22, is a rigid valve disk 24, against which is disposed one of a sen ries of cylindrical valve casings 25 made in two equal semi-circular sections and bolted together.

These valves are bored to act as bearings in which the shaft 20 is rotatably mounted and finished on their periphery to fit the bores 19 of the reduced portions of the casing, they being further provided with shallow annular grooves 26 near their smoothly finished sides which fill with oil and serve as packings.

One each of these valves are used at the ends and intermediate the cranks as shown, being slightly wider than the surface 19 and formed through the valves are ports, respectively 27 and 28, communicating with apertures 27 '-28 extending through their outer walls, the valves being held from rotating by means of pins 29 entered through the casing wall.

The cylinders 30 are shown as integral with the upper section of the casing, being supported by convergingly inclined walls 31 and are provided with water jackets 32 extending their entire length around and between each cylinder.

These cylinders are expanded at their upper ends to form a space 33 to deflect the air toward the center of the cylinder, and into which the spark plug` 34 enters at a point above the piston 35, the latter being provided with packing rings as usual, and to which the upper end of the connecting rod 36 is attached by the pivot 37.

The lower end of the connecting rod is mounted on crank pins 38 fixed to extend between valve disks 39 rigidly secured to sections of the shaft 20, intermediate the spaces in which the cranks operate. these disks having their outer faces bevelled to agree with the interior of the casing in which they rotate and arranged to slightly clear the same, their sides opposite the crank pins being closely adjacent the sides of the valves 25.

The outer faces of one of each pair of the disks contain openings 40 opposite the crank pins, into which air enters from the larger ports 27, due to the suction of the piston as it moves upwardly, and is forced through the corresponding opening by the piston moving downwardly, into the ports 28 in the opposite sides of the valves 25.

Air enters the ports 27 by way of ducts 42 through the aperture 27 leading to each unit from a common header 43 supplied by a single inlet 44 controlled by a damper valve 45, the air being discharged through ducts 46 to another header 47 on the opposite side of the engine.

Engaged with the header 47 is a duct 48 of rectangular cross section, in the relatively large area of which is disposed the open end of another smaller duct 49 into which is connected a spray nozzle 100 leading from a chamber 101 containing a supply of gasoline, maintained under pressure by air delivered through the pipe 102 from the header 47.

The attenuated portion 51 of the duct 48 extends to the top of the cylinder', to a. horizontal header 50 eventually entering an open annular chamber 52 above the cylin der and the continuation 53 of the gas duct enters below ay partition 50 in the header 50 to a similar but lower chamber 54.

Covering the chamber 52 is a circular plate 55, (see Figure 6) secured therein by screw threads 56 and presenting a chamber 57 in its lower portion having ports 58 communicating with the surrounding chamber 52.

Below and open to the chamber 57 is another chamber 59 of lesser diameter and interjacent the chambers 59 and 54 is another annular chamber 60 having imperforate inner and top walls, respectively 6l and 62 but fully open at the bottom and provided with ports 63 in its outer wall communicating with the chamber 54.

A hubslike extension 65 reaches down from the plate 55 and is bored to receive a slidable stem 66 having on its end a disk valve 67 adapted to contact and form an air and gas tight joint with the lower edge of the circular partition wall 61 and ring element 68 at the lower peripheral edge of the outer wall of the chamber 57.

This valve is held normally close-d by a coiled expansion .spring 69 abutting at its respective ends the plate 55 and a washer plate 70 through which the stem 66 iixedly passes, this stem being periodically depressed by a tappet lever 71, fulcrumed on a fixed rod 72 and having at its opposite end a roller 7S actuated by a cam 74, adjustably fixed on a shaft 7 5 and driven in timed relation to the rotation of the engine shaft 20.

Fixed in the valve disk 67 are a plurality of posts 78, their upper ends being set in a valve plate ring 79 of washer-like formation, operating in the space between the walls 61 and 68 controlling the outlet of the chamber 60.

It will now be clear that the current of atmospheric air forced into the duct 48 becomes divided, one portion being delivered from the annular chamber 52 to the chambers 58 and 60 and held therein by the valve 67.

When this valve starts to descend the air rushes through these chambers directly into the cylinder, eifectually scavenging the same and passing out, when the piston is in its lowest position, through ports 8O extending through the cylinder wall and water jacket into the headers 6l common to all the units, and thence to the discharge pipes 82 one of which is on each side of the motor.

During the earlier stage of movement of the valve 67 nothing but air is entered into the cylinder, the ring 76 retaining the over rich gas mixture in the chamber 60, but eventually the ring will be withdrawn as the valve descends and gas flows into the cylinder, mixes with air from the duct 49 and is further diluted by pure air as received in the main chambers above the valve 67, which upon rising, first cuts off the mixed gas and air and then the pure air.

In operation, fresh air is sucked in a controlling quantity through the inlet 44 to the header 43 and distributed to each cylinder unit by the ducts 42 leadingto the apertures 27 communicating with the ports 27 of the fixed valves 25, these ports being in communication with the openings 40 in the crank carrying disks 39 during a portion of their revolutions, at which time suction is caused by the upward movement of the pistons 35 within its cylinder, thus filling the space in the crank-case between the disks.

Upon the downward movement of the pistons, the disk will be rotated into position to close the openings 40 to the ports 27, compressing the air in the crank case, eventually bringing the openings 40 into communication with the ports 28, forcing the air through the apertures 28 into the ducts 46 header 47 and dispenser 48, where, as has been seen, it is distributed, part of the air being used for scavenging purposes for the cylinders and part to commingle with the gasoline spray to form explosive charges within the cylinders.

The compressed air is also led from the header 47 to the gasoline reservoir 101 so that the pressure upon it is equalized with that in the distributor 48.

Attention is further called to the general simplicity and compactness of the engine and the economical manner in which the gasoline is used without the interposition of a Carburettor or other extraneous and trouble giving parts of like character.

The spray head 100 delivers the gasoline in minute jets directly into the mixing chamber below the hot exhausting gas-es in the discharge pipes and from which it derives a very considerable degree of heat, which heat is materially conserved by reason of the duct 58 being partially enshrouded by the air duct 51, its uncovered side facing the cylinders as shown.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a .simple device for this purpose has been disclosed in the preferred form of its embodiment, but it is not desired to restrict the details to the exact construction shown, it being obvious that changes not involving the exercise of invention may be made without conflicting with the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an internal combustion engine, a cylindrical crank case bored throughout its length, valve casings fixed at spaced intervals in the bore, a drive shaft journalled centrally in said valve casings, means in said valve casings to admit air from the exterior of the case to the spaces therebetween and to discharge air therefrom, crank carrying valve disks fixed to said shaft intermediate said valve casings, and ports in said valve disks adapted to draw air into the spaces during the 11p-stroke of the engine and dispel air during the down-stroke.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a cylindrical crank case composed of a series of integral members alternating in diameter, the larger members containing the cranks and the smaller members having a uniform bore throughout, a cylindrical valve casing fixed in the bore of each of the smaller members, sections of a shaft rotatably mounted axially in said valve casings, said valves having inlet and outlet ports communicating with opening in the case, valve disks fixed on the extending ends of the shaft sections, said valve disks being rotatable in the larger members, crank pins uniting said valve disks in pairs, and ports in said valve disks adapted to alternately draw air through one of said valve casings and discharge it through the other, the movement of air being accomplished by the reciprocative action of the engine pistons.

3. An internal combustion engine comprising, in combination with working cylinders, a piston operating reciprocatively therein, a crank shaft and rods connecting between the pistons and crank shaft, of a closed crank case, cylindrical valve casings fixed in said case between the piston rods, said valve casings acting as bearings for the shaft and containing elongated arcuate ports on opposite sides opening outwardly, an air inlet. header open to the ports on one side of said valve casings, a dispensing header in communication with the ports on the opposite sides of said valve casings, and valve disks fixed to said shaft, said valve disks having openings admitting air through certain of the ports in said valve casings to the crank case during the upstroke of the pistons and discharging the air through the other ports during the down stroke of the pistons.

4. An internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder, a piston for reciprocation in said cylinder, a crank shaft, a connecting rod connecting the piston with the crank shaft, a closed crank case enclosing the crank shaft and communicating with the cylinder, a valve casing element in the crank case, said valve casing element having inlet and discharge ports, an apertured valve disk rotatable with the crank shaft, and having a port therein for establishing communication between the inlet and discharge ports of the valve casing element and the crank case at predetermined intervals, the inlet port of the valve casing element being in communication with the atmosphere, a duct connecting the discharge port with the cylinder at the end opposite the crank case, means intermediate the ends of the duct for introducing a combustible charge thereinto, and a valve casing associated with cylinder for timing the admission of the fluid from the duct into said cylinder.

This specification signed this 8th day of February, 1924.

ALBERT RAFTER. 

